When was the last time you stepped away from everyday life to spend a weekend, a week or even just a few days focused on God?
Perhaps it was a church weekend away, a youth holiday, a family conference or a retreat. If you’ve experienced one, chances are you can still remember it. Not necessarily every talk or seminar, but the conversations that carried on late into the evening, the friendships that were formed, the prayers that changed something, and the sense that God met you in a fresh way.
I certainly can.
At the age of 13, I became a Christian lying in a sleeping bag inside a canvas bell tent, pitched in the middle of a pig farm. It wasn’t a church building or a cathedral. It wasn’t at the end of a Sunday service. It was during a Christian summer camp where, somewhere between the games, the conversations, the worship and the Bible teaching, I encountered Jesus for myself. That moment changed the course of my life.
My story isn’t unusual. In fact, it’s remarkably common. Many Christians can point to a camp, conference, retreat or church weekend that played a significant part in their faith journey, or they know someone whose life was transformed through one. Each year across the UK, hundreds of Christian outdoor activity centres, holiday providers, conference venues and retreat houses welcome thousands of people of every age and background.
There is something uniquely powerful about Christian residential ministry. Not because God is somehow more present there than anywhere else, but because stepping away from everyday life creates space to hear His voice. Throughout scripture, we see this pattern again and again. Moses encountered God in the wilderness. Elijah heard His gentle whisper on the mountain. Jesus regularly withdrew with His disciples to quiet places to pray, teach and simply be together. Time away has always been part of God’s way of drawing people closer to Himself. Christian residential ministry continues that biblical pattern today.
At The Hayes Conference Centre, one church’s youth leadership team stepped out in faith to organise their very first residential camp. Around 100 young people gathered for worship, prayer and Bible teaching. Among them was a pastor’s son who hadn’t attended church for 15 years, having come almost by chance after a friend’s invitation. After the first evening of worship, he shared that he felt spiritually revived and wanted to take the things of God seriously again. Ordinary hospitality had created space for an extraordinary encounter with Christ.
These stories are not new. More than a century ago, 24 young people travelled from London to Surrey for the very first CPAS Fresh Air Camp. One young girl wrote home excitedly: “My little brother and I have given our whole selves to Jesus!” Today, CPAS leaders continue to tell stories of young people coming to faith, often describing the residential experience as the moment years of discipleship finally ‘tipped them over’ into making their own commitment to Christ.
Time away has always been part of God's way of drawing people closer to Himself. Christian residential ministry continues that biblical pattern today.”
Transformation isn’t only spiritual. Christian residentials also nurture confidence, resilience and belonging. At Christian Youth Enterprises, the sounds of laughter echo across Chichester Harbour each summer as children experience what one camper described as “a place like no other… every time I come here my faith feels stronger. Coming back here truly feels like coming home.” Staff have noticed increasing numbers of children arriving anxious about staying away from home or trying adventurous activities for the first time. In response, they’ve introduced open days, site visits and introductory sleepovers to help families prepare. As young people step beyond those fears, they discover confidence, lasting friendships and the joy of belonging to a community centred on Jesus.
In a culture increasingly marked by loneliness, anxiety and constant digital distraction, Christian residential ministry offers something wonderfully countercultural: time. Time to listen. Time to worship. Time to ask difficult questions. Time to laugh, eat, pray and serve together. Time to build relationships that continue long after the event has finished.
Of course, creating these opportunities isn’t without its challenges. Christian residential providers continue to navigate rising costs, ageing buildings, ever-increasing regulation and financial pressures, while seeking to keep events affordable for churches and families. Yet they remain committed because they know lives change when people intentionally create space to meet with God.
At CRNet, we believe it’s time to better understand and demonstrate the impact of Christian residential ministry. That’s why we’re undertaking the UK’s first national research project exploring how Christian residential experiences shape faith, wellbeing, relationships and discipleship across every generation.
If Christian residential ministry has ever played a part in your life, we’d love to hear your thoughts, experiences and perspective by completing our short National Research Survey. Your responses will help build the first national evidence base on the scale, benefits and long-term impact of Christian residential ministry. This will equip providers to reach more people, secure vital funding through grants and donations and serve God’s kingdom even more effectively in the years ahead.
After all, if a 13-year-old boy could meet Jesus inside a bell tent on a pig farm, imagine what God can continue to do through Christian residential ministry.
